Eldridge’s 458-foot blast headlines SF Giants’ Fourth of July win vs. Rockies

DENVER — Bryce Eldridge has already learned how Oracle Park, his home stadium, can suppress offense.

It was about two months ago that Eldridge got “Oracle’d” for the first time in his career. On a cold San Francisco night, Eldridge sent a 407-foot fly ball to Triples Alley. At every other ballpark, Eldridge’s towering blast would’ve been a home run. At Oracle Park, his efforts were reduced to an F9.

Eldridge is also learning how Coors Field, a venue he’ll visit a handful of times per year, can enhance offense. A month ago, he launched a 453-foot homer that landed in the forest beyond center field. And on the Fourth of July, Eldridge supplied his own fireworks in the Giants’ 6-3 win over the Colorado Rockies, a 458-foot blastthat landed in the second deck.

“It’s really fun to watch when he gets a hold of the ball because he’s got so much leverage,” said starter Robbie Ray. “It’s not just pull side. He has the same power the other way. So, it’s really fun to watch him swing the bat. When he’s hot, he’s one of the most exciting guys we have.”

“The biggest thing is just seeing him get back into a comfort zone,” said manager Tony Vitello. “Yeah, there’s growing pains and working through things, but he still looks like the guy he did when he first came up. Looks really comfortable in the box.”

The rookie, who also had a 416-foot RBI double, hasn’t needed much time to reap the benefits of hitting at altitude. In five games at Coors Field, Eldridge is 9-for-19 with two home runs, five RBIs and five doubles. With his solo homer in the top of the fifth, Eldridge became the first Giant in the Statcast era (since 2015) with multiple 450-foot home runs at Coors Field in a single season.

Eldridge arrived in Denver in the midst of the first true slump of his career, hitting .167 with two doubles and no RBIs in the 10 games leading up to this series. The 21-year-old rookie acknowledged the cat-and-mouse game he’s playing with the rest of the league, noting how he’s already been pitched in three different ways since his season debut.

“At first, I was getting hard in, in, in,” Eldridge said. “I wasn’t really getting many strikes and I was walking a lot. Then, guys were going low. Now, guys are kind of trying to get stuff at the bottom of the zone. Everyone’s making adjustments, everyone’s changing how they’re pitching to me, but I’m going to continue to work on my plan, my approach and continue to adjust there.”

Ray continued to up his trade stock ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline with a third straight quality start, allowing three runs over six innings with four strikeouts and three walks. Ray allowed a three-run homer to the Rockies’ Cole Carrigg in the first but held Colorado scoreless for the next five innings.

The veteran lefty’s outing was all the more impressive because he had to navigate a pair of delays. After first pitch was pushed back by 46 minutes due to rain, there was another delay ahead of the top of the fifth when home plate umpire Scott Berry left after being hit in the throat by a foul ball in the bottom of the third.

“I’m at the point in my career where I’ve had to deal with that a lot,” Ray said. “It’s happened on multiple occasions, so it doesn’t really mess with my routine or anything. I just had to get loose a second time. I hadn’t touched the mound yet when they said [first pitch] was going to be pushed back, and so everything was fine there. Then, when the umpire delay happened, I just went in the tunnel and threw some plyo balls to keep loose.”

Ray had a somewhat comedic moment in the bottom of the first, taking a spill after tagging first base when recording a 3-1 putout. Far more impressive was the latest stunning defensive gem by third baseman Casey Schmitt in the eighth, a play where he ranged to his right, backhanded a grounder, then fired a perfect throw across the diamond while in foul territory to end the inning.

“It didn’t feel great. I’m not in my 20s anymore,” Ray laughed. “But, I’m all right.”

Along with Eldridge, shortstop Willy Adames drove in two runs in the first with a double. Luis Arraez, who was named an All-Star on Saturday afternoon, and Jung Hoo Lee each contributed an RBI apiece.

Caleb Kilian enjoyed redemption by recording his eighth save of the season. On May 29, Kilian blew a save against the Rockies by allowing the game-tying home run to Hunter Goodman, then the walk-off homer to Ezequiel Tovar.

Up next

Tyler Mahle (1-8, 5.67 ERA) will take the mound on Sunday afternoon at Coors Field as the Giants look to take the series against the Rockies and split their six-game trip. Tanner Gordon (0-2, 6.69 ERA) will start opposite of Mahle.